To date, results show 100 percent transplant and survival rates for all patients.

SOUDERTON, PA and GRONINGEN, The Netherlands. February 13 2019 — Hemoglobin Oxygen Therapeutics LLC (HbO2 Therapeutics), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oxygen therapeutics, today announced results from a pilot study on liver transplants conducted at the Netherlands largest transplantation center, the University Medical Center in Groningen (UMCG) under the direction of the lead investigator Professor Robert Porte, Head of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation.

The study involved donor livers that were deemed unsuitable for regular transplantation. These organs were subjected to an innovative machine perfusion technology (a simulation of how the liver works in the body) using Hemopure, a novel synthetic oxygen solution that increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. Given the solution’s ability to safely transport oxygen from much colder temperatures to body heat, initially rejected livers appear more likely to respond positively, becoming suitable for transplantation.

The results showed that 16 livers that were initially rejected by all transplant centers in The Netherlands, including UMCG, underwent machine perfusion to assess the organ’s viability at 37°C. Following viability testing including the ability to produce bile, ten donor livers were successfully reconditioned using Hemopure solution. A further benefit of applying this solution included the avoidance of any blood products during the perfusion process. HbO2 Therapeutics is pleased to announce 100% transplant and survival rates in the study including those patients receiving “refurbished” livers treated with Hemopure.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with UMCG given that this is the first of its kind study with important variables tested in real time including individual liver differences, overall liver viability, and Hemopure perfusion,” said Zafiris Zafirelis, CEO of HbO2 Therapeutics. “The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) estimates that over 13,700 people are currently waiting for a liver transplant nationwide, yet only about 8,250 transplants performed in 2018. Given the significant need to increase donor transplants, the key takeaway from this pilot study indicates that discarded donor livers could be refurbished with the help of Hemopure.”

​​In 2018, the UMCG carried out 73 liver transplants. On average around 60 liver transplants were done in the past few years, and in 2017 there were 56. This increase of around 20 percent is almost completely due to the use of normothermic machine preservation of donor livers that were rejected for transplantation in the…

​A new procedure for storing livers donated for transplant has been hailed a “game changer” and approved for use on the NHS. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) say perfusion machines could increase the number of livers that can be safely used for transplantation. They store donated livers at body temperature, which…